PLANT DEPARTMENT. 



■ orders, unless instructions are received to the contrary, are executed 'and, forwarded upon receipt. Cus- 

 tomers placing orders for stock to be reserved and sent later must distinctly specify this at time "f ordering. 



PLANTS BY MAIL.— Small plants will be sent free by 

 mail when so desired. The greater part or all of the soil is 

 removed from the roots, which are carefully packed in damp 

 moss. We cannot forward bulky plants, such as Azaleas, 

 Camellias, large Roses, Shrubs and similar stock by mail. 



PLANTS BY EXPRESS.— We do not deliver plants 

 free by express, the purchaser paying the charges, which are, 

 by the principal express companies, 20 per cent, less than reg- 

 ular merchandise rates. We strongly urge this method of trans- 

 portation, as it enables us not only to give better values in the 

 form of larger and finer plants, but we also always add liberal 

 "extras" to help defray charges, and unless instructed to 

 the contrary, all orders are forwarded by express. 



PLANTS BY RAIL.— Shrubs, Hedge Plants and other 

 dormant stock can be forwarded safely by fast freight lines, 

 even to very distant points, at low rates. 



STEAMBOAT LINES.— Fast lines of boats connect Phil- 

 adelphia with Baltimore, Boston, Fall River, Providence, Nor- 

 folk, Richmond, Savannah, Troy and Albany. This forms a 

 convenient, cheap and safe method of transportation, except 

 during severe cold weather. 



PACKING FREE. — We make absolutely no charge for 

 boxes or packing, or delivery to any express, freight or steam- 

 ship line in Philadelphia. 



SAFE ARRIVAL GUARANTEED.— We guarantee the 

 safe arrival of all plants to any part in the U. S. or Canada 

 when sent by express. If forwarded in any any other man- 

 ner they are entirely at the risk of the purchaser. 



FOREIGN SHIPMENTS.— We are constantly making 

 shipments of Seeds, Plants, Bulbs, etc., to Europe, Cuba, the 

 U. S. possessions in the far East, etc. and by our system of 

 packing it is unusual for the goods to reach their destination in 

 anything but the best condition. 



Miscellaneous Hints and Suggestions for the Amateur Florist. 



Written expressly for this book by Eben. E. Rexford. 



Soil for Pot Plants. — It used to be thought and taught 

 that nearly every kind of plant needed a soil specially prepared 

 for it. We have learned that this was a mistake. Ninety-nine 

 out of every hundred plants that can be grown in the house will 

 do well in any good soil that is not too heavy and compact to 

 allow water to run through it readily. A soil prepared after the 

 following formula will answer the needs of the flower-grower 

 excellently: One part ordinary loam. One part leafmold or 

 turfy matter. Mix these together and add enough sharp sand to 

 make the whole so friable that it will fall apart readily after 

 squeezing it in the hand. 



(The "turfy matter" advised as a substitute for leafmold is 

 obtained by turning over sod and scraping away that portion of 

 it which is full of grass-roots. This gives you a light, spongy 

 soil, rich in vegetable matter, and almost as valuable as genuine 

 leafmold from the woods. ) 



A sprinkling of bone meal can be added to give richness, if 

 thought advisable. But I think it best to wait until a plant has 

 made some growth before using much fertilizer. When a plant 

 is in the process of development one can tell better about its 

 needs than he can in advance, and then is the proper time to 

 supply those needs. At no time should enough be used to pro- 

 duce a rapid growth, for rapidity, as a general thing, means 

 weakness. A sturdy, healthy development is what should be 

 aimed at, and the wise gardener will be content with it. 



Drainage. — Every pot more than three inches across ought 

 to have something in the way of drainage before filling it with 

 soil, through which surplus water can run away. If the hole 

 in the bottom becomes closed there is no outlet for this water, 

 and the soil is soon soured by it. This results in diseased roots, 

 and anything that interferes with healthy root-action will eventu- 

 ally destroy the plant unless the difficulty is promptly remedied. 

 An inch of drainage is enough for a five-inch pot. For a ten- 

 inch pot three is not too much. For intermediate sizes use 

 proportionately. Old flower pots, or brick, broken into pieces 

 as large as a walnut, make excellent drainage material. Coarse 

 gravel can be used if there is nothing better to be had — almost 

 anything, in fact, that will not decay under the action of water. 

 It is a good plan to put a layer of sphagnum moss or fine roots 

 over the drainage material before filling the pot with soil, to 

 prevent the latter from being washed down and closing the 

 cracks and crevices through which the water is supposed to 

 drain off. A piece of sod will answer if there is nothing better 

 at hand. 



Watering. — In the article on Palms (seepage 152) something 

 has been said about watering. 1 can only say here that the ad- 

 vice already given about watering when the surface of the soil 

 looks dry, and then watering thoroughly, and waiting until the dry 

 look comes again, is the nearest approach to a rule that can be 

 offered. There are exceptions to all rules, and in order to take 

 intelligent care of one's plants it is necessary to study them and 

 be able to recognize the exceptions as they occur, and be gov- 

 erned in your treatment by the good judgment which can only 

 come from personal observation and experience. 



This article is continued on next page. 



Plants in small pots dry out rapidly, and will require watering 

 much oftener than those in large pots. In winter much less 

 water is needed than in summer. Plants not making active 

 growth will need but little water. Plants exposed to the sun will 

 require a good deal more water than those in shade. Hanging 

 plants almost always suffer from lack of water because the soil in 

 them parts rapidly with moisture on account of exposure on all 

 sides to a temperature considerably higher than that at the win- 

 dow-sill. Most failures with hanging plants and window-boxes 

 outside the window result from insufficient watering. A window- 

 box a foot wide, and a foot deep, and three feet long, ought to 

 be given at least a pailful of water daily. 



Repotting. — I am not an advocate of frequent repotting. I 

 prefer to supply my plants with food in the shape of fertilizers 

 administered through the soil, rather than forcing them to depend 

 upon the soil itself for nourishment. If we make the soil the 

 medium through which we feed our plants, it stands to reason 

 that a frequent change of it is neither necessary nor advisable. 

 My experience with root-bound plants which have been kept 

 growing healthily by the application of fertilizers convinces me 

 that a great deal of hard work can be saved by paying less atten- 

 tion to repotting than we have been in the habit of doing. 



I would not be understood as saying that it is not necessary to 

 report a plan occasionally after it has grown to good size, but I 

 assert that it is wholly unnecessary to do so oftener than once in 

 two or three years if the proper fertilizer is used. 



Young plants will require shifting to pots of larger size as 

 their root system develops. To not repot such a plant would be 

 to check its growth at a time when the development of a vigor- 

 ous root-system is a matter of great importance. 



In repotting any plant, large or small, disturb the roots as 

 little as possible. ^lip it out of its old pot, put it into the new 

 one, and fill in about it with fresh soil. Water well before doing 

 this to prevent the soil from cleaving away from the roots. 

 Water well after you have the plant in its new pot to settle the 

 soil you have added. 



Fertilizers. — There are many good kinds on the market. I 

 cannot mention any particular kind here, with the exception of 

 bonemeal, which has already been spoken of. This I consider 

 a thoroughly reliable plant food. Liquid manure made by 

 leaching barnyard soil is excellent. 



But let me say right here, use whatever fertilizer you make 

 choice of with great caution. Be governed by the instructions 

 which accompany it. Don't think that because a little is good 

 a good deal must be better. It is an easy matter to kill your 

 plants by being too kind to them. Don't try to force their 

 growth. 



Never use any fertilizer on a plant that is standing still. It is 

 not in a condition to make use of rich food. Wait until it begins 

 to grow, and then weak applications, increasing the amount as 

 the plant develops. So long as plants grow well, be content to 

 let well enough alone. Sickly plants are injured by the applica- 

 tion of a fertilizer under the impression that what is needed is 

 more food. They need no food at all until normal conditions 



(115) 



